Sound: Infectious eighties synth and clubby hip-hop beats, powered by optimistic lyrics about a world where "impossible don't exist."

Humble beginnings: "In high school, my friends and I would drive into Manhattan for raves, and I'd drive-rap—make up words on the fly. People would say, 'You can do this.'"

Best advice: "My dad worked outdoors in construction, and he always said, 'You don't want to be out in the cold.'"

Standing and delivering: Five years ago he had a catering job bringing food to Pepsi's offices. Today he's the voice of the soda brand's ubiquitous "Music Icons" commercial, which features Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, and Kanye West dancing to his party anthem "Tonight Is the Night." "To call it 'coming full circle' is true," he says. "I mean, Michael Jackson dancing to my song? How could it get any better?"

Up next: Before "Tonight Is the Night" became a YouTube sensation, he signed with Asylum Records. He's putting the finishing touches on his hotly anticipated first studio album, due this spring.